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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The US Embassy in Kampala has temporarily suspended routine visitor visa interviews following a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the country.
The suspension comes in the wake of the third wave of the pandemic declared by the Ministry of Health on 7 January 2022. According to Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng, the country has been registering at least 37 percent, and a 4.8 percent increase in positive cases and test positivity rate respectively.
As of 12 January 2022, Uganda has recorded 523 new cases representing a test positivity rate of 8.2 percent and seven new deaths bringing the cumulative deaths toll to 3,385 since March 2020.
Anthony Kujawa, the U.S. Embassy Spokesperson in Kampala on Friday said that B1 and B2 visitor visa interviews have temporarily been suspended in response to recent challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Kujawa explained that affected applicants whose scheduled interviews were canceled were notified through automated computer-generated messages and how soon the Embassy will resume such services remain unknown.
He says the Embassy continues to process only students’ visa applicants with approaching program start dates and other applicants who are traveling to the US for medical and other family emergencies.
B1 and B2 visas, also referred to as “B visas”, are generally the most common types of visa issued for short-term business trips, temporary employment, study exchange, and tourism purposes in the United States.
A visa is an endorsement on a passport that grants the holder official permission to enter, leave or stay in a country for a specified time period. Depending on where you are traveling, a visa can be valid for single or multiple visits.
Like the US, several other countries around the globe require an interview or medical screening prior to applying for a visa.
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